


The calm before the storm.

by sophie_enoshima



Category: Zero Escape (Video Games), Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma - Fandom, Zero Time Dilemma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-10
Updated: 2016-07-10
Packaged: 2018-07-22 20:09:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7452354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophie_enoshima/pseuds/sophie_enoshima
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>December 30th 2028...</p>
<p>Exploring life at Dcom the day before the terrible events of the decision game take place...</p>
            </blockquote>





	The calm before the storm.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so in love with this game, that I just had to write something! This story is inspired by the ZTD prequel written by Uchikoshi in the art book (which is totally worth reading). So I've mixed ideas from the prequel along with how I imagine life to have been at Dcom. It's sort of like a collection of one shots in a way. 
> 
> This story takes place on December 30th 2028, the last day before the decision game begins. Even though it's set before the game, there are spoilers.
> 
> This is the first time I've written something Zero Escape related, so I really hope you enjoy ^.^

**December 30th, 2028 - Dcom - 7am**

 

During the past year, sleep had become something of a rarity for Junpei Tenmyouji. So he wasn't sure why he'd expected things to change at Dcom. A change of scenery and a foreign bed made no difference, he still found himself staring at the ceiling for most of the night. 

He'd woken at five, unable to get back off since, staring blankly at the wall clock as he watched the minutes pass by. He always found it strange how slowly time passed when he was trying to sleep, it was as if he were being punished, time dragging slowly like a never ending nightmare. No matter how hard he tried, Junpei couldn’t get his brain to switch off. By five thirty, he gave up the idea of sleeping altogether. He'd have to write it off as another bad night. 

When the clock struck seven, Junpei saw it as an appropriate time to get up. Though his fellow participants wouldn’t wake for another hour or so, Junpei didn’t care. He spent most of his time at home on his own anyway.

Being awake for so long had left his throat itching for a drink - just water, bear in mind. Sliding into shoes, he left his private quarters, making his way to the pantry. Dcom consisted of several units, the pantry noticeably the smallest. There was just enough room to store food, but not enough space to stand around and eat it. 

The halls were eerily quiet, with everyone, including Gab, fast asleep. Junpei routed around in one of the oversized freezers, in search for something to drink. Milkshakes, sodas, beer...the fridge had everything, but it was too early for all that. Junpei tried to keep his search brief, ever since the 'incident' last year, he had a bad feeling about fridges.

“Junpei…”

A gentle voice called his name from behind. Apparently, he wasn't the only one awake after all.  Junpei spun around, at such speed, he almost hit his head. He found himself inches away from Akane Kurashiki, she watched over him as he rummaged around in the fridge.

Akane’s greeting wasn’t exactly welcoming, a frown sitting across her face. “It’s so early, Junpei. Don’t tell me you’re getting a beer already?” her voice held disappointment. 

Junpei gritted his teeth, frustrated that she’d been so quick to judge him. “It’s nice to know what you think of me.” Junpei muttered, turning back towards the fridge to snatch a bottle of water. 

Akane hugged herself to keep warm, the impact of the cold freezer. “Whenever I see you, you’ve got a beer in your hand. You’re drinking a lot, Junpei…”

Junpei rolled his eyes, slamming the fridge shut behind him. “Well, Akane, if you’d be around in the past year, you’d know that I like to drink now.” he continued to raise his voice. “Or maybe, if you hadn’t been avoiding me ever since we arrived at Dcom, you’d know that too.” he didn't like his temper getting the better of him, but he couldn't help himself. He was still upset that Akane hadn't spoken to him about the events of last year, she was being polite, but doing her best to keep a distance between them.

“I haven’t been avoiding you, Junpei.” Akane objected, much calmer in comparison.

“Oh, that’s right.” Junpei remarked. “You’ve just been acting like nothing happened a year ago.” he tightened his grip on the water bottle. 

Akane let out a deep sigh. “I’m not having this argument again.” a few days ago in the Gardening Unit, Junpei had accused her of much the same thing, it only ended in tears. Akane turned her back on him, no longer interested in whatever reason she’d come to the pantry.

“That’s it, just walk away.” Junpei yelled after her in anger. “It’s what you always do!”

Akane said nothing, leaving the room without giving him a second glance. Junpei turned around, whacking the fridge in frustration, taking out his anger. Nothing was going the way he wanted it to. What happened to the Akane he used to know? 

 

**December 30th, 2028 - Dcom - 8.30am**

 

Diana found herself in the Home Unit, a nickname Akane had created for one of the Dcom units that functioned like a living room. It wasn’t as peaceful as the Gardening Unit, or as relaxing as the private quarters, but it was the perfect place for the nine participants to hang out together. Diana knew the experience was unique. She wanted to make the most of her time by getting to know everyone. 

Over the past few days, Diana had been trying her best to learn about the others. She'd heard the story of how Eric met Mira in his ice cream shop, and the training Carlos had to go through to become a firefighter. Phi had even told her the story of her mother's brooch. Besides Sigma, everyone had been making the effort in getting to know one another. In fact, Diana wasn’t sure what was going on with Sigma. He kept spouting on about the future, claiming the world was doomed, and he always looked at Diana with a strange look of...hurt in his eyes.

“Hey…” Mira spoke up, breaking off her conversation with Eric. “Can you hear shouting?”

The room fell silent, followed by a series of nods. Eric was the first to jump from his seat, a look of panic falling across his face. “Is..is something bad happening?”

“It’s probably Sigma again.” Junpei rolled his eyes, barely taking his attention off the bottle in his hand. “I thought he’d get over this ‘future’ bullshit, but apparently not.”

It all started on the 26th, just a few hours into the Dcom experiment. Sigma had destroyed the contents of the infirmary with a crowbar, claiming six billion people were going to die if action wasn’t taken. He was insistent that some sort of pill or liquid was going to spread an outbreak of a dangerous, and life threatening, disease.

“Didn’t I tell you?! We should’ve thrown that asshole in confinement.” Eric protested, sitting back down after realising there was no immediate danger.

“It wasn’t your choice to make.” Junpei reminded him, leaning forward in his seat. “The emergency guidebook states that only the group leader can send someone to confinement, and Carlos said no.”

Diana knew exactly which section of the guidebook he was referencing. ‘Should a participant become mentally unstable during the experiment and pose a possible threat, the participant may be restrained in a confinement room at the leader’s discretion.’

“Carlos said the staff would shut down the experiment if they found out.” Diana said, speaking directly to Eric. She knew it would have been a real shame to call off the experiment on the first day.

“Which means less money for us…” Mira added, taking the opportunity to inspect her nails.

Diana turned her head towards the doorway. From down the hall, she could still hear the sound of raised voices. As the nurse at Dcom, it was her job to look after anyone sick or injured. Though she doubted anyone was hurt, and it was most likely Sigma kicking off, she felt the urge to get up and investigate. “It hasn’t stopped, we should see what’s going on.”

“There’s no point.” Junpei said, curt with his response. “Akane and Phi will come along in a minute, they’ll have another one of their ‘secret meetings’, and Sigma will go quiet for another couple of hours.” the bitterness dropped off his tongue.

Junpei hadn’t be the only one to pick up on their ‘secret meetings’, Diana had noticed too - though she hadn’t spoken to anyone about it. Phi and Akane were constantly visiting Sigma in his private quarters, turning up his music player in an attempt to disguise their raised voices.

Mira curled her legs up on the sofa. “Mm...seems like the shouting's stopped.” she cocked her head to the side, just to be sure.

As if on cue, Diana heard the sound of the music player coming to life, a tuneful country song drifting along the hall. Junpei was right, whatever was being spoken about, they were trying to hide it.

“What did I tell you?” Junpei muttered to himself, rolling his eyes far back in his head. 

“I kept asking Sigma about those meetings.” Eric said, addressing the group. “He says he’s working with Phi and Akane. Together they’re trying to stop the death of six billion people.”

“You don’t believe him, do you?” Mira smirked, brows raised at her boyfriend.

“N-no...of course not.” Eric objected, speaking rapidly. His opinion changing now that Mira had spoken. “The guy’s obviously crazy, I’d never believe something like that.”

“What do you think of Sigma, Diana?” Mira asked suddenly, staring at Diana in waiting for an answer.  
  
“Well…” Diana hesitated. Truth be told, she wasn’t exactly sure what she thought of Sigma. On the first day, she was the only one to check if he was okay after smashing the infirmary to pieces, but since then he’d done everything to avoid her. When Diana walked into a room, Sigma walked out. If she tried to make conversation with him, he’d end it hastily, claiming he had somewhere else to be. She’d even confronted him about his attitude towards her, but Sigma offered her no more than a few words.

Diana took a deep breath, keeping her answer truthful. “I don’t think Sigma likes me, although I’m not really sure what I’ve done to upset him.”

“I wouldn’t let it bother you.” Eric shrugged his shoulders. “The guy seems like he has a screw loose anyway.”

 

**December 30th, 2028 - Dcom - 12:45pm**

 

The Home Unit was always at its busiest during lunchtime. Though Dcom had its own pantry, it wasn’t big enough to fit a table, let alone house nine people. The purpose of the pantry was to simply store food, meals were to be prepared and cooked in the Home Unit.

Breakfast was a meal usually eaten alone. Some liked to get up early and eat in their private quarters, others enjoyed taking their food into the Gardening Unit for a more peaceful experience, while some skipped breakfast altogether. It was just as difficult trying to gather everyone for dinner. The participants liked to eat at different times, when someone was ready for food, someone else would be busy sweating it out in the gym. 

“Here you go.” Carlos chucked another dog treat to Gab. He didn’t want to overfeed the animal, but it was hard to say no with the dog sitting at his feet.

Diana chuckled, watching the interaction between the two of them. “I wonder if Gab realises he’s part of such an exciting experiment!”

“Not likely.” Phi remarked, clearing the crumbs from around her mouth. “Though I think he's got a bigger brain than Sigma, so who knows?”

“Speaking of Sigma, is he okay?” Diana asked, her voice hushed since he was close by. Sigma had been keeping a low profile since kicking off earlier that morning, sitting by himself to eat lunch. Out of everyone at Dcom, Sigma seemed closest to Phi, so she seemed like the best person to ask. 

“He’s fine.” Phi nodded, providing very little insight on the matter. “Just ignore him when he gets like that, it's what I do.”

Diana wasn’t sure if she could, but she didn’t get the chance to ask any further questions. A distraction provided itself in the room, probably to Phi's relief.  
  
“Shit!” Eric cursed loudly, capturing everyone’s attention.

“Is everything alright?” Carlos asked, taking charge as group leader.

“Eric wasn’t watching what he was doing.” Mira rolled her eyes. “So now, he’s split soup over that old guy.”

Eric had been in the process of feeding the old man, Q. Since he couldn’t see, or hear, it wasn’t like he could feed himself. The participants had been taking it in turns to look after the man, giving him his lunch. It just so happened to be Eric that split the piping hot soup down the poor man’s chest.

Eric reached for a handful of napkins off the side, in a desperate attempt to clean up the mess he'd created. “Dammit!” he growled, growing all the more frustrated by the minute.

“He’s so useless.” Mira muttered under her breath, quiet enough that Eric didn’t hear.

Diana rushed to her feet, as the group nurse, she saw it as her responsibility to step in. “Let me take a look at him.” she said, hurrying to the old man’s aid.

“I’m-I’m sure he won’t feel anything.” Eric protested, talking out of guilt.

“He’s blind and deaf, not insensitive to pain.” Junpei pointed out, though he couldn’t deny, the situation was amusing.

“Is he going to be alright, Diana?” Carlos watched over Diana, arms folded.

Diana nodded. After a quick assessment of the old man’s condition, she'd come to the conclusion that he was okay. “It’s nothing serious, thankfully. His jumper seems to have absorbed most of the soup.”  
  
“I think _I’ll_ carry on feeding him…” Carlos said, shooting a sideways glance at Eric.

Eric backed away from Q, dropping the soup spoon to the floor like it were a murder weapon. “Uh, so…” he said, desperate to change the subject. “I think the crops in the Farming Unit are starting to sprout.”

Part of the experiment was to see how well the crops would grow in the given conditions. The participants had been eagerly watching the progress of the crops all week, it was something else to distract them from the boredom. 

“If that’s true, we should celebrate tonight.” Carlos suggested, resting on bended knees to feed Q. "We should raise a toast." 

“It might be fun.” Mira agreed.

"Is that alright with you, Akane?" Junpei said, speaking down to her as if she were a child. "You seem to get upset whenever I go near alcohol. Shall we toast with water instead?"  

Akane didn't rise to him, maintaining her dignity in doing so. Abandoning her half eaten sandwich, she removed herself from the situation. Choking back the tears, she gracefully left the Home Unit, off to console herself in her private quarters.

"Twice in one day..." Junpei muttered to himself. "That must be some sorta new record."

Carlos scratched his head. "What was that all about?" 

"It doesn't matter, you wouldn't understand." Junpei said, gazing in the opposite direction. 

Phi rocked back in her seat, whispering into Sigma's ear behind her. "Tenmyouji really hasn't changed, has he? He's the same old grandpa, just with a leather jacket..."

 

 

**December 30th, 2028 - Dcom - 19:35pm  
**

 

They agreed to have their toast at eight, since Sigma wanted to workout and Eric went for a nap after his ordeal with the soup. Diana spent most of her afternoon in the Home Unit, building blueprints with Carlos. Though it was fun for the most part, she soon grew tired of constructing items that served no purpose. It was simply a way to fight off the boredom, while the Dcom staff watched on from behind closed doors.

Diana then began to occupy herself by playing with Gab, but the dog heard the sound of Junpei in the pantry and ditched Diana for the sake of cheese. She couldn’t exactly blame the dog for his betrayal, the cheese did seem more exciting…

To kill the final twenty five minutes before the toast, which seemed to be dragging on, Diana decided she’d busy herself in the infirmary. Though Sigma had smashed its contents to pieces on the first day, there was still plenty of spare medicine provided by the Dcom staff - so no one had to go without. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a spare cabinet. Meaning all the medicines were stored in boxes, acting as make do shelves.

While reading over labels, and sorting out dosages, Diana heard the sound of heavy footsteps from behind. She looked over her shoulder out of curiosity, in case someone was after her help.

The person she found herself facing was none other than Sigma. Though by the startled look on his face, he hadn’t expected to find Diana. In an instant, he turned his back on her, making a swift exit out the door.  
  
“Sigma, wait!” Diana called after him, dropping the box of pills in her hand. Sigma had turned up at the infirmary, there was obviously some form of aid that he needed.

Sigma stopped in his tracks, albeit reluctantly. “Yes?” like always, his tone was cold.

“Well…” Diana hesitated, unsure how he was the one asking questions when it should have been her. “I was wondering if you needed something. You did come to the infirmary.”

“I’ve got a headache, I was going to take some aspirin.” Sigma explained, cutting straight to the point. “That’s all.”

“But you didn’t get any…” Diana pointed out, staring at his empty hands. “Wait right here, I’ll get you some!” she offered Sigma a friendly smile, but it wasn’t returned.

“No, I’ll pass.” Sigma objected, turning tail once again.  
  
“Don’t be silly. If you’ve got a headache, then you should take something for it to ease the pain.” Diana had a feeling there was more to the situation than Sigma was letting on. To come for aspirin, but leave as soon as he saw her, meant one thing...he was avoiding her. Diana had already accused Sigma of such a matter the day before, though he’d quickly denied it. Diana didn’t enjoy thinking of anyone as a liar, but she couldn’t shake the feeling Sigma was hiding something from her.

“Come on.” Diana motioned Sigma back towards the infirmary. If he was avoiding her, then she was determined to change that.

For whatever reason, Sigma gave in. Giving up on his attempts to run off, and following after Diana instead. It was progress, although he said nothing, determined to keep the conversation between them brief.

“Take a seat.” Diana smiled, pleased she’d gotten Sigma to follow along. She gestured to the chair in the corner of the room.

“I’m fine here.” Sigma insisted, hovering in the doorway.

Diana didn’t bother asking twice, she was growing to learn how stubborn Sigma could be. Unsure of the specific location of the aspirin, she rooted around in the different medical boxes. “This would be a lot easier if you hadn’t smashed everything up…” she remarked, hoping to make light of the situation.

Sigma stayed silent, apparently not finding the joke as funny as she did.  
  
“Ah, here we are!” Diana victoriously retrieved what she was looking for from one of the boxes. She passed the medicine to Sigma, before turning around to tidy up the items she’d cast aside. “If you wait a moment, I’ll get you some water to swallow that down.”  
  
But by the time Diana looked back, Sigma had already gone. Leaving her with nothing to do, but shake her head in confusion.

 

**December 30th, 2028 - Dcom - 20:05pm**

 

Carlos finished pouring out the champagne, handing the final glass to Akane. She took the drink with an appreciative smile, though she wasn’t in the mood for celebrating. It was the same story for Phi and Sigma. It was hard for them to let loose and enjoy the moment when they were busy worrying about the future. They were bearing a heavy weight that the other participants didn’t have to share.

“Come on, Carlos.” Eric jogged his arm playfully. “You’re the leader, make the toast!”

“Uh, okay.” Carlos raised his glass, completely put on the spot. “I call a toast in celebration of the crops that sprouted today.” It was a little rusty, but he hadn’t the time to think of anything better. “Cheers to Dcom, and cheers to us!” Carlos concluded.

“Cheers to Dcom, and cheers to us!” the others repeated, raising their glasses in celebration.

As Carlos smiled, he thought about his sister Maria. It would soon be New Years and they could share a toast together - even if it was only one-sided. He'd tell Maria about his time at Dcom, the friends he made, and the food he'd eaten. As well as the all important money he'd been given.

Eric watched Mira as he cheered along, the beautiful angel he had the pleasure of loving. The woman who made him truly smile with happiness, it was all so perfect. When they arrived back from Dcom he'd finally be able to propose. She'd, hopefully, say yes, and they could live happily ever after. She tasted better than all the ice cream he'd ever had. 

Akane and Phi laughed with the others, but their smiles were hollow in comparison. Their thoughts preoccupied with what the next day could bring. Their consciences weighed heavy. Anyday the virus could strike, breaking out into the world, and changing mankind forever. 

Junpei downed his champagne, his mind in other places. One hand supporting his glass, and the other in his trouser pocket - twirling a ring in his fingers. He stared at Akane from the corner of his eye as the jewellery graced his fingers. The Kanny that he knew...was she still in there? 

Diana was feeling exceptionally cheerful, pleased to be enjoying herself at Dcom. Sigma's cold encounter was still playing on her mind, but it wasn't enough to ruin her evening. She raised her glass highest, allowing herself to appreciate the moment. Happiness wasn't something she was used to anymore. 

Mira scanned the room, a half attempted smile on her face. The champagne tasted funny, she couldn't understand the joy the others received from it. That being said, she wasn't sure if she understood joy at all. She could feel Eric's eyes upon her, but she didn't bother to look at him. As irritating and as useless as he could be, there was something about him that was worth that wait. Soon, very soon, she would make her move and get what she desired most.

Similarly to Akane and Phi's, Sigma's mind was a mess. Though unbeknown to them, there was an extra weight anchoring him down. Focused on trying to save the world, while facing the woman he once loved and lost, was proving even tougher than he'd predicted. All he wanted was to forget, but his memories were stronger than ever.

Finally, there was the old man 'Q'. His thoughts the busiest of them all...

One by one, they retired for bed. Sigma throwing in the towel first, claiming his headache was back. 

 

**December 30th, 2028 - Dcom - 23:51pm**

 

Junpei stayed up the latest, getting through more champagne than the rest of them. He kicked off his shoes, climbing into bed shortly before midnight. As his head hit the pillow, he prepared himself for another sleepless night. Unaware of the horrors he would find himself in the next morning.

 


End file.
